Method of buffing and polishing articles



June 1, 1937. c, MOON 2,082,020

METHOD OF BUFFING AND POLISHING ARTICLES Filed June '7. 1935 4Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. (711mm 2/700,

Bylaw ATTORNEYS.

June 1, 1937. c. R. MOON METHOD OF BUFFING AND POLISHING ARTICLES Fil-edJune 7, 1935 4 SheetsSheet 2 HPII M m w K H w ATTORNEYJ.

June 1, 1937. c. R. MOON METHOD OF BUFFING AND POLISHING ARTICLES FiledJune 7, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENT OR. Ova/at; K. Moo/v.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented June 1, 1937 PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF BUFFING AND POLISHINGARTICLES Charles R. Moon, Muncle, Ind., assignor to Ontario Ind., acorporation Manufacturing Company,

Muncic,

Application June '7, 1935, Serial No. 25,478

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a new and novel method of bufling andpolishing, particularly in respect to articles having a curvedformation, such as the curved handles of tableware, the

curvature of table forks, spoon bowls, and the like.

It is the object of this invention to provide a new method of buffing orpolishing whereby the article may be automatically and mechanicallypresented to a pair of bufling or polishing wheels so that the operationmay be simultaneously applied to both opposite surfaces and permitrelative movement between the article and wheels to accommodate them tovarious 5 curvatures which may be found in the article.

Another feature of the invention resides in oscillating the articlelaterally with respect to the plane of rotation of the wheels,particularly wherein the surface to be polished is concavo- 20 convex,as in the bowl of a spoon. In such instance the oscillation is about thecenter of curvature of the bowl, resulting from oscillation of thegripping jaws.

Another feature of the invention resides in 25 causing a reciprocatorymovement of the buffing and polishing wheels longitudinally of thearticle, thus covering a substantial surface thereof longitudinally aswell as laterally through oscillation of the article as above described.

Another feature of the invention resides in providing an up and downmovement of the polishing wheels simultaneously with, or independentlyof, the movements above described for following variations inlongitudinal curvature of 35 the article. such as a spoon handle.

Other features of the invention will be hereinafter more fully set forthand described in re: spect to the method employed for buffing andpolishing. I

The full nature of the invention will be understood from theaccompanying drawings and the following description and claims:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of anapparatus employed for carrying out theinvention. Fig. 2 45 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a side elevationof a portion of the apparatus illustrating the relation of the bufiingand polishing wheels to the bowl of a spoon at the second stage of theoperation. Fig. 4 is the same as Fig. 3 showing 50 the third stagethereof. Fig. 5 is a section through the gripping jaws for holding thearticle v in operative position, with the jaws in open position withparts in section. Fig. 6 is the same as Fig. 5 showing a plan viewthereof with parts in 55 section. Fig. 7 is a rear elevation of thebufling and polishing unit. Fig. 8 is a section taken on the line 8-8 ofFig. 1. Fig. 9 is a section taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 1.

For illustrating one type of apparatus in carrying out the method, andas applied to buffing or polishing the bowl of a spoon, there is shownin the drawings a frame support ill for the turret unit, and a framesupport H for the buffing and polishing unit. Both frames are mountedupon a base plate l2, the turret having a top plate IS. The turretstructure embodies a turntable having a plurality of gripping jawsthereon, there being illustrated herein six in number spaced radiallyaround the turntable. As indicated in Fig. 2, there is a plurality ofbufling or polishing units spaced about the turret. One such unit isillustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, and similar duplicate units are outlinedin Fig. 2 as being positioned about the turret at four spaced stations.

In general operation, the specific apparatus illustrated herein is soarranged that the article is moved about the turret, coming to rest atone of the six stations. At the first station, the jaws which are open,clamp the article. It is then carried by the turntable to the nextstation, wherein it is presented to the buffing or polishing wheels forthe first operation. When the article is brought to each succeedingstation, it comes to rest for a period of sufficient duration to permitof the buffing or polishing operation. Thereupon it proceeds to the nextstation for the next succeeding operation. After passing through theseveral operating stations, it comes to a releasing station, wherein thejaws open and the article drops out, the jaws remaining open forreplacing another article until they are closed at the first-mentionedstation.

For driving the turntable and associated parts there is provided a motorll mounted on the base l2 which drives a worm l5 through a driving beltIS. The worm l5 drives a worm wheel H, which in turn drives a shaft l8to which is keyed a gear l9 meshing with an idler gear 20 rotating on ashaft 2|. The shaft 2| extends upwardly through the top plate [3 forsupporting the turntable 22 which is intermittently rotated ashereinafter described. Said turntable carries a plurality ofarticle-gripping jaws 23 in which are mounted removable holder blocks 24between which the article 25 is gripped.

As illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, the gripping jaws 23 are operated by atoggle 26 connected with a lever 21 pivoted on a bracket 28 whichrigidly supports the lower jaw, the upper jaw being pivoted to the endof the lever 21. One

end of the toggle bears upon the compression spring 28 supported in thewell of thebracket and adjustable by a screw 38 for controlling theyielding pressure under which the article 25 is gripped. The jaws areadapted to receive the removable holder blocks 24 which are changed toaccommodate the curvature of their adjacent faces 3| to thecorresponding curvature of the particular article to be gripped thereby.To center the elevation of the jaws with respect to the bufling andpolishing wheels there is provided a screw 32 which adjnstably positionsthe jawsupporting plate 33. The toggle 26 is actuated by a rod 34 havingan eye 35, which is fulcrumed in the plunger 36. Said plunger is heldunder spring tension by the springs 31 against a cam 38 so that innormal extended position the jaws are held open as illustrated in Fig. 5and in compressed position they are closed to article clamping position.The plunger 36 is provided with a roller 38 which is engaged by theperiphery of the cam 38, which cam is supported above the turntable soas to be oscillated with respect to the top plate l3 and jaws, wherebythe turntable, with the clamping members, rotates thereabout during itsoscillatory movement.

The cam is provided with a relieved portion of its periphery, indicatedat 40, so that when the roller rides over said relieved portion, itreleases or opens the jaws and when it rides over the remainingperiphery of the cam, the plunger is forced forwardly under tension ofthe springs 31 to close the jaws and clamp the article. Thus, asindicated in Fig. 2, the jaws are held in clamping position by theperiphery of the cam at stations No. No. 2, No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5. Atstation No. 6, the roller rides into the relieved portion 40 to open thejaws which remain open until station No. is reached, whereupon the jawsare again clamped on the next article to be treated.

The clamping jaws and the associated mechanism above described are allsupported by a cylindrical housing 4| having a horizontal axis,

said housing being rotatably mounted within a bearing 42 supported bythe turntable 22. Thus, the jaws are free to oscillate about ahorizontal axis. For oscillating said jaws there is provided a pinion 43keyed to the barrel-like housing 4|, which pinion is engaged by a rack44 mounted on the vertically-extending plunger 45 of a piston 46mountedin an air cylinder 41. Thus, upon operation of the piston in theair cylinder in the usual manner for reciprocating the rack 44, the jaws23 are oscillated about a horizontal axis. The piston in the aircylinder is operated in the manner hereinafter described.

One of the several buffing and polishing units supported by the framesII will be described, it being understood that there is a plurality ofsuch units spaced around the turret, as above mentioned. Mounted on theframe I I there is a pair of horizontally-disposed slide bars 58 uponwhich a carriage 5| is adapted to reciprocate to and from the turret bythe means hereinafter described. Supported upon the carriage there is aframework 52 carrying a pivotally-mounted arm 53 at the top thereof. Theforward end of said arm carries a supporting bearing 54 for the driveshaft carrying the upper bufling and polishing wheel 55. The oppositeend of the shaft from the wheel is provided with a pulley 56 driven by abelt from a pulley 58. The pulley 58 is mounted on a shaft extendingthrough a bearing support 58- having a pulley 68 on the opposite endthereof which is driven by a belt 6| on a pulley 62, the latter pulleybeing driven by a motor 63.

The lower wheel 85 is mounted upon the bearing head 86 which in turn issupported by an arm 61 pivoted on the frame 52. The wheel 65 is driventhrough the head 66 by a pulley 68 and belt 68 from pulley 10'positioned immediately below the pulley 58. The pulley 18 is mountedupon a shaft extending through a bearing 1| upon the other end of whicha pulley 12 is mounted driven by a belt 13 from a pulley 14 by a motor15.

The wheels and 65 are held together under spring tension by a spring 16adjustably connected to the respective wheel supporting arms 53 and 61.Thus, the article 25 being processed is clamped between the wheels 55and -65 under spring tension. However, the relative position of the saidwheels as well as their position in respect to the article may beadjusted to take up for wear or for varying positions of the article bythe adjustable screws 11 and 18. The screw 11 screws through a knob 18on the arm 53, and the screw 18 screws through a similar knob 88 on thearm 61. at their lower end to the arms 8| and 82, respec-- tively. Thus,the screw 11 has a tendency through the tension of the spring to pullthe arm' 8| upwardly against a cam 83 while the tension of the spring 16forces the screw 18 and arm 82 downwardly against said cam. Each of saidarms 8| and 82 is pivotally connected to fixed portions of the frame at84. The function of the cam 83 is to simultaneously raise and lower thewheels 55 and 65 to correspond with their movement back and forth ashereinafter described so that they will jointly follow the curvature ofthe article to be operated upon.

For moving the wheels back and forth longitudinally of the article, thecarriage 5| is caused to slide upon the rods 58 by a link 85 which ispivotally connected to said carriage at one end. The other end of saidlink is pivotally and adjustably connected by a bolt 86 to anoscillating disk 81 pivotally supported upon a bed plate 88, the bolt 86extending through one of the radial slots 89 formed in said disk. Saiddisk is provided with similar slots to which smaller corresponding arms85 are connected for each of the several buffing and polishing units.

The disk 81 is oscillated by a driving disk 88 keyed to and driven bythe shaft l8 and having its bearing in the bed plate 88, as indicated at8|. The driving disk 98 is provided with a diametrically-extendingT-groove 82 for adjustable reception of the connecting head of the link83. The other end of said link is bolted to the disk 81 at 84.

The jaws 23 are laterally oscillated and. the bufling and polishingwheels 55 and 65 are opened and closed in respect to the article 25by.compressed air. The operation of the rack and pinion arrangement foroscillating the jaws is above described as being actuated by the pistonand cylinder 46, 41. For opening and closing the bufiing and polishingwheels there is provided a cylinder 85 containing a piston 86. Thecylinder 85 is mounted on the arm 53 and the piston 86 is connected by aplunger 81 with the arm 61. Thus, when the piston is forced downwardly,it causes the arms 53 and 61 to spread, thereby separating the wheels55, 65 against the tension of the springs 16. The cylinders 85 areconnected to an air valve 88 mounted on the bed plate 88 through an airline as illustrated.

Said screws are both anchored aoaaoao The air cylinder 99 which isconnected to the valve 98 through the air line I drives the shaft tionto the rotary movement of the turntable through the Geneva movementspider hereinafter described. This is for the purpose of alternatelymoving the reduced portion 40 of the cam 39 back and forth to morequickly and timely open and close the jaws 23. The compressed air to thevalve 98 for distribution in timed relation to the various cylinders 41,95 and 99 is drawn from any suitable source of compressed air not shownherein, through a central air line leading to the valve which likewiseis not illustrated. The lines leading from the valve 98 to the cylinders41 are omitted for the sake of clearness, inasmuch as they may beconnected therewith in any suitable manner forming no part of thisinvention. In practice, however, a common air line passes from the valve98 upwardly through the upper half of the shaft 2| which is hollow andthrough the central opening in the spider I05, the shaft 2I merelyoscillating and not rotating. The separate lines from the cylinders 41are connected with the common line through a swivel air connection topermit rotation relative thereto.

The valve 98 is controlled by a plunger-actuating cam IOI keyed to ashaft I02 driven by a gear I03 meshing with the gear 20 so as to operatethe valve in timed relation with the movement of the turret. The turretlikewise is rotated in timed relation with the operation of the valvethrough the medium of a Geneva driving shaft I04 engaging and driving aGeneva movement spider I05, said driving shaft I04 being keyed to anddriven by the drive shaft I02. Thus, the turret carrying the sixclamping jaws 23 is periodically rotated to move said jaws from stationto station and cause them to dwell at each station for sufficient lengthof time to receive and discharge the article and effect the buffing andpolishing operation.

In operation, the turntable or turret is rotated by the Geneva movementperiodically from one station to the other, dwelling at each stationsufficiently long to effect a complete operation at that station. Inpassing from station No. 6 to station No. I, the jaws 23 are opened.Suitable blocks 24 have been mounted in the jaws to accommodate by theircurvature the particular article to be treated. During the movement fromstation No. 6 to station No. I, the article is insefted, eitherautomatically or manually, into the clamping jaw, wherein it is rigidlyclamped at station No. I. The Geneva movement then carries it to stationNo. 2. During its movement to station No. 2, the valve 90 has beenoperated to actuate the piston and cylinder 96 and 95 to open thebufling and polishing wheels 55, 65. Upon the station being reached, thearticle is positioned between said wheels which close and clamp upon itunder tension of the spring 16 through the reverse action of the valve98,0ylinder and piston 95 and 96. The wheels are continuously rotated bythe motors 63 and 15 so that as soon as they are brought together by theaction of the compressed air and spring, the buffing and polishing ofthe article begins and continues until rotation of shaft I02 againoperates the Geneva movement and valve 98 to separate the wheels androtate the turret to carry the article to station No. 3. While atstation No. 2, however, the valve 98 is also operated to actuate thepiston 1, to impart an. oscillatory movement to the cam 39 in timedrelaand cylinder 46, 41, which swings and oscillates the articlelaterally about a horizontal axis to different lateral positions withrespect to the buffing and polishing wheels.

After the dwell at station No. 2 sufficiently long to effect the desiredbuffing and polishing operation as above described, the shaft I02.causesthe valve 98 to separate the wheels so as to release the article and theoscillation of the article iS stopped by the valve 98. Thereupon theshaft I02 again actuates the Geneva movement to rotate the turret forcarrying the article to station No. 3. At station No. 3 another butsimilar operation is performed followed by corresponding operations atstation No. 4 and station No. 5. At station No. 6, the stationary cam 39permits opening of the jaws so that the article is released, the jawsremaining open for receiving a new article until the turret rotates thejaws to station No. I.

Wherein the character of the article operated upon is such that it isdesirable to have the buffing and polishing wheels moved longitudinallyover it, the wheels supported on the carriage I are caused toreciprocate back and forth through the medium of the link 85 which maybe disconnected where such movement is not desired, or

adjusted in slots 89, and the extent of its movement controlled throughadjustment of the link 93.

Wherein the character of the article is such that during thelongitudinal movement of the bufling and polishing wheels, it isnecessary to follow a particular curvature, the cam 83 may be operatedto raise and lower the arms 53, 61 during the back and forthreciprocating movement of the carriage. Any desired curvature may befollowed in this manner by changing the position of the cam 83, said cambeing driven with such movement as desired by a yoke I00 extending downto the frame I I and pivotally connected therewith through the link I09.Thus, upon the carriage 5| being reciprocated back and forth by the link85 and relative to the stationary frame II, the cam 83 will be caused torock by reason of such relative movement. The relative position of thewheels and carriage to the turret may also be adjusted through thelongitudinally extending adjusting screw I01.

The apparatus is shown herein as applied to the bowl of a spoon. Inoperating upon the bowl, it is desirable to have the oscillating orrocking action so that the side surfaces of the bowl will be acted uponby the polishing wheels as well as the central portion thereof. Byreason of the character of the bowl of the spoon, station No. 2 operatesthereon as indicated in Fig. 1, wherein the top or smaller wheel 55rotating in a counterclockwise direction at about 5000 R. P. M. lies inengagement with the upper surface of the front end of the bowl. Thelower and larger wheel 65 operating at about 3000 R. P. M., rotates in aclockwise direction, engaging the under surface of the bowl toward theheel portion. When the spoon is carried to station No. 3, the relativepositions of the wheels are as illustrated in Fig. 3, wherein the upperwheel engages the upper surface of the bowl joining the handle, whilethe lower wheel engages the under surface of the bowl. toward the freeend thereof. When the turret carries the article to station No. 4. thewheels are in the relative positions illustrated in Fig. 4, wherein theupper wheel engages the central portion of the upper surface of the bowland the lower wheel engages the central portion of the under surfacethereof.

Station No. 5 may or may not be employed for an operation. However, suchstation is provided to take care of any additional operation which maybe necessary, or to operate upon any portion of the article which has'not been fully or sumciently covered by the preceding three operations.

wherein it is desired to bufi and polish the handle of the spoon, theclamping blocks 24 are designed to conform to the curvature of the bowlof the spoon so that the handle protrudes from the jaws for receivingthe operation. When the handle is operated upon, it is not necessary toutilize the oscillating movement so that the valve piston and cylinder46, 41 are disconnected. In this instance, however, it is desirable toso adjust the link 93 as to give substantial longitudinal movement tothe wheels through the link 85, the cam 83 being so arranged andprovided as to cause the wheels to move up and down as they movelongitudinally of the handle in order that their travel may correspondto the curvature.

The invention claimed is:

1. The method of automatically bufiing and polishing the bowl of a spoonconsisting in gripping the spoon by the handle thereof and presenting itfirst between a pair of oppositely-disposed bumng and polishing wheels,engaging the surface of the bowl adjacent the toe and the undersurfacethereof adjacent the heel, rocking said spoon between said wheels whilerotating them at a high rate of speed, presenting the bowl of the spoonbetween another pair of wheels, engaging the upper surface adjacent theheel and the lower surface adjacent the toe, and in addition theretopresenting said spoon to a third pair of wheels engaging the upper andlower surfaces of the spoon intermediate the heel and the toe.

2. The method of bufling and polishing an article consisting in grippingone end' of an elongated concavo-convex article and holding it between apair of oppositely-disposed buifing and polishing wheels, maintainingsaid wheels in continuous engagement with the opposite concave andconvex surfaces of the article, respectively, while rotating them at ahigh rate of speed, and simultaneously rocking said article about its1ongitudinal axis in engagement with said wheels and reciprocating saidwheels longitudinally of said article.

CHARLES R. MOON.

